CHAPTER 4

This morning was dreadful.

First- I woke up sweaty and screaming like crazy.

Thenightmare was back and it hit me full force.

I was having fewer problems with it lately. I guess being on the road kept my brain occupied and my body exhausted enough for me to sleep dreamless through most nights. I always had to think ahead if I wanted to have a full stomach and a roof to sleep under.

It was a nice distraction. While it lasted.

I guess I shouldn't really be surprised it came back. Not with Damon and Stefan reminding me of the Cullens and the terrible feeling of being followed.

Second- someone is currently banging on my front door and it is giving me a headache.

I go downstairs and open the door. I am faced with a cheerful Elena bouncing on my doorstep but her face falls when she sees me.

„Come in." I mumble.

„You okay? No offence, Bella, but you look kinda..Horrible." She states apologetically.

„I feel horrible." I groan back.

And I do. There is nothing more mentally exhausting for me than reliving Edward's departure. Even if it is only in a dream.

And my mental state is currently reflecting on my physical state. My hair is wild and full of tangles, I have bags under my eyes and I am extremely pale.

„Are you sick? Do you want me to come back another day?" She asks.

„No, no, no. Please don't leave me! I'll just take a quick shower and I'll be as good as new." I tell her.

I can't be alone right now. I would just torment my mind with the memories of him and that wouldn't do me any good.

„Okay, you go and I'll make myself comfortable." She ushers me.

I take my time in the shower even though I know Elena is waiting for me downstairs. But I can't help it. As soon as the warm water hit my skin, my body went limp and all I could do was sit under the stream and let the water wash the stress away and relax my muscles.

When I finally manage to get out I quickly dry my hair off and put on a pair of leggings, a wide shirt and some flats.

I can't bring myself to put on skinny jeans.

No way. Today I'm going casual.

„Hey, I'm sorry you waited. I really needed to relax if you expect me to function properly. I slept horrible." I apologize when I get back downstairs.

„No problem. How come you slept like that?" She asks.

„Ugh, just some memories coming back to haunt my subconscious." I answer bitterly.

„Memories from Forks?"

„Yeah, you could say that.." I mumble in response.

„Do those memories have something to do with why you moved so far away alone? I mean, you couldn't be older than me, and here you are, living alone in a new town." She tries to guess.

„My dad died a few weeks ago. And after all the other things that happened in Forks before that I decided it was best for me to leave it all behind." I tell her.

„Oh, I'm so sorry. What about you mother?" She asks cautiously.

„She lives in Florida with her husband. He is a baseball player so they travel a lot. It is easier for me to just live on my own."

„No friends? Boyfriends?"

„I have a few friends back in Forks. They are great but it was just too hard for me to stay there and look at my old life mocking me. It could never be the same again." I try to explain my reasons without revealing too much.

I don't know why but it was easy for me to open up to Elena. I feel like she would understand.

„I can see how that would be hard. I lost both of my parents in the same night, my aunt Jenna and my brother Jeremy are the only family I have left. If I don't count the Salvatores." She shares with me.

„The Salvatores?" I ask confused.

„Yeah, Stefan and Damon. Their last name is Salvatore, sorry, I forgot you just came here."

„No biggie. But your story is so sad." I tell her.

„Yeah, but I'm coping. I miss them horribly but it gets better with time, Bella." She says pointedly.

Time. That is what he said.

"Time heals all wounds for your kind. " Those were his words before he left me behind.

But the sad truth is- it doesn't.

I guess I spaced out longer than I realised because Elena started talking again.

„But anyways, enough with the hard stuff. We have a lot of work to do today!" She announces.

„Work?" I ask sceptically.

„Well duh. We're going shopping!"

„For what?"

„Stuff!"

„Define stuff."

„Things. For your house." She says exasperated.

„I have things. In my house."

„Seriously?! This stuff has been here even before Mrs. Brown moved in 4 years ago! You need decorations and new paint! And frames to put photos in! I have been here for 30 minutes and haven't seen anything personal." She states horrified.

„I don't have any photos. Or personal stuff. I left it all behind me." I inform her.

„Well that just means we're gonna to have to take some photos tonight!" She informs me back.

„Tonight?" I ask, confused.

„Yes. You are coming to my house for dinner with Stefan and Damon. Jer and Jenna are out of town so we have the house all to ourselves." She shrugs.

„Okay, sure.." I agree.

„But until then- we have a mall to dig through!"

She says and basically drags me out of the house.

XXX

A few hours later we are standing in front of the mall with a bunch of bags filled with various clothes, decorations and buckets of paint.

The plan is to 'personify' my house. Her words, not mine.

We pile the bags in her car and head to my house.

„Feeling better by now?" She asks, smiling from the driver's seat.

„Actually, yes. A lot better." I say and we get out of the car and into my house.

„Great! Let's get to work than, shall we?"

„Lead the way!"

And so we start.

First we move all the furniture to the middle of the rooms and then we start painting the walls.

Shopping with Elena was easy. And surprisingly enjoyable.

Nothing like the endless tortures I experienced with Alice.

Elena is an easy person to be around. She's really warming up to me.

She gave her opinions on things I picked out and suggested some stuff I didn't notice.

Not once did she force me to buy or let alone try something I didn't like. Not once did I feel the pressure I felt each and every time I was shopping with Alice.

It felt normal.

And it felt damn good.

The clothes we picked out fitted our respective styles and the paint and decorations were nothing extravagant but let on a homey, warm vibe.

When we finished painting and arranging the furniture and decorations we stand in the middle of the house and admire our work.

„Oh. My. God. It looks amazing!" I state.

„Yeah, we make a hell of a team." She smiles warmly.

And I have to agree. The place looks so good. It is almost unrecognisable.

„So, dinner in 2 hours. Don't be late!" She mock-orders.

„I'll call you before I leave so you can come out front. I don't know which house is yours." I tell her.

„Sure, seeya then!"

„Bye!"

And with that she is gone.

I open all the windows so that the smell of the paint would come out and the walls would dry faster. We painted my room first so it would have enough time to dry in order for me to be able to sleep in it tonight.

It was appropriate- tonight would be the first night sleeping in my new room since I didn't sleep in in it yesterday. My new room-not someone else's old one.

At 8 pm I start getting ready. I have an hour so I lay my clothes on the sink and run a bubble bath.

XXX

45 minutes later I am drying and curling my hair.

The clothes I picked out were nice. Nothing fancy but I didn't want to look like a drag. I put on some dark jeans, a red tank top and flats.

On the way out I ring Elena's phone so she'd know I'm on my way.

When I get to her house I stop in my tracks.

Damon is standing on her and he's intently staring at me.

„Hello, Isabella." He says when I unfreeze and step onto the porch.

„Hello, Damon." I say back in the same tone and get into the house passing beneath his arm since he is holding the door open for me. I mumble a thanks and get inside.

Elena's house is beautiful. Warm colours, colour-coordinated furniture.. It feels like a home, it feels lived in.

„We're in the kitchen!" Elena yells from somewhere inside the house.

I follow the sound of her voice and find her stirring something on the stove while Stefan is cutting up vegetables on the kitchen isle.

„Hey, Bella. Good day?" Stefan asks.

„Yeah, I had a lot of fun. My muscles are a bit sore but it was worth it." I say while taking a seat next to him on the isle.

„No wonder, Elena can sometimes spend an entire day in that mall. She gets carried away." He jokes.

„I've seen worse." I chuckle.

„Really? Somehow I find that hard to believe!"

„Really. A few hours with Elena are nothing compared to 3 day shopping sprees I had to endure. Trust me, it doesn't get worse than that!"

„See Stefan? You can consider yourself lucky!" Elena joins the conversation.

„That sounds like something coming straight from a horror movie." Stefan states.

„You bet. Anyway, what are you making? It smells delicious!" I change the subject.

„Oh, it's just some lasagne. These two have Italian roots so whenever we get together like this, they get to choose a dish." Elena answers.

„That sounds like fun. How often do you do this?" I ask

„Not that often really, maybe once a month or so. It became a tradition- if we can squeeze it in our schedules we do this. It kinda serves like an escape from the stress and other stuff." She explains.

„Cool. Ugh, I can't wait to try some of that. I haven't had a home cooked meal in weeks!" I groan.

„Really? How come?" Stefan asks.

„I was on the road for three weeks. Slept in hotels, eating fast food. This is the first time I stayed somewhere longer then one day.." I tell him.

„Alone?" He raises his brows.

„Yeah, alone."

„How come?"

„I needed an escape. Leaving Forks was the only solution that made sense. I wanted a fresh start and I found it here."

„I'm glad you stayed." Elena says.

„Me too."

„Me three!" Stefan jokes and lifts the atmosphere from the hard stuff.

The conversation throughout the dinner flows easily even though Damon only said a few words.

When we finish eating we move to the living room and sit down. Elena and Stefan are on the loveseat so I have to sit next to Damon on the small couch.

„That was delicious!" I say to Stefan and Elena.

„Thanks!" Elena answers.

„I'm gonna go grab us some drinks." Says Stefan.

„I'll go with you, to help you carry the glasses." Elena tells him and follows him into the kitchen.

And that leaves me alone with Damon.

„So, Isabella.." Damon says.

„Yeah?" I ask.

„You left any boyfriends in Forks?" He asks.

„Not that it's any of your business but no, I didn't." I answer him.

„You sure?"

„Yep." I say, popping the p.

„Hey, what about that scar? It looks..unusual."

I knew he'd ask sooner or later. I just expected it to be more subtle.

„What scar?" I decide to play dumb.

„You know very well what scar, Isabella." He says while getting closer to me on the small couch.

„Umm.. I have a bunch of them. See this one"- I point to my forehead-„I slipped on a patch of ice and bumped my forehead into my truck. Got stitches, concussion and spent a week in the hospital. The one on my chin"- I say while tilting my head so he could see-„happened on a fishing trip with my dad. I fell of the boat, hit my head and almost drowned. These are all cooking accidents"-I show him my palms and tips of my fingers-„and this one I got when I was pushed onto a table and broke a bunch of plates."- I point to the one I got on my disaster of a birthday party.

He looks amused but I know he won't relent. He wants to know the story behind the only scar I can never tell him about.

„Well, aren't you a klutz!" He says, laughing.

„I am. I think someone dropped me on my head as a baby and the fall messed with my balance system." I half-joke, he chuckles.

„What about the one on your wrist?"

„Oh, this fellar?" I pretend I forgot about it. I know it doesn't work, but..

He just nods.

„I was bitten.. By an animal.. About a year ago." I manage to say, but even I can hear the nerves behind my words.

„What kind of an animal?" He leans even closer to me on the small couch and I can see his pupils dilating.

„Umm.. A dog." I blurt out nervously.

„A dog?!" He laughs. „That doesn't resemble a dog's bite!"

„It was a large dog." I defend.

„Tell me what happened, Isabella." He gets serious again, looks me straight in the eyes and once again his pupils dilate. That is strange.

„I told you. I was bitten." I say again. And this part is true.

„By a dog." He repeats, obviously not buying it.

„Yes." My voice falters a little bit like it always does when I tell a lie.

„You sure about that? You can tell me, Isabella." Again with the pupils.

„Yes, I'm sure Damon!" I spat back.

I am getting annoyed by his persistence. He hasn't spoken more than a few words the entire evening and now he is practically harassing me.

But I'm not backing down.

Thankfully, Stefan and Elena finally emerge from the kitchen carrying two trays of drinks and snacks.

„Finally! This guy"-I point to Damon who was still sitting very close to me-„can't take a hint!"

„I know right? I've been through that, he'll leave you alone soon, don't worry. Won't you Damon?" Elena gives him a pointed look.

„We'll see. Isabella here is quite a mystery." He just smirks.

„And you are quite a pain in the ass." I retort.

„Smartass." Damon mutters while Elena and Stefan laugh.

„I've heard that before." I tell him.

„I bet you did." He says back.

We all sit in the living room talking for a while when Elena starts yawning.

„Oh, I should go, it's getting pretty late." I tell them.

And it was, I didn't even realise it. I look through the window but can't see anything but darkness.

„Oh my god! Where did the time go, it is past 2 am!" Elena exclaims.

„Already?! Good thing I have nothing to do in the morning.." I say.

„I have school. But I'll call you and we can meet at the Grill sometime." She tells me.

„Sure!" I get up and walk to the door. The three of them follow.

„I'll make sure Isabella gets home safely and then come back here." Damon says.

„I'm a big girl and my house is 3 minutes away." I inform him.

„You're a big klutz and it's dark outside. We wouldn't want any dogs attacking you, now would we?" He raises his brow.

„Ugh, fine." I groan.

Stefan and Elena just stand there watching our banter with amusement.

„Bye, Bella!" Elena says and turns to go back into the living room.

„Bye, guys. And Elena"-she turns back around-„thanks. For today. For everything." I say softly.

„You are welcome, that's what friends are for, right?" She smiles.

I smile back, nod and get out with Damon trailing behind me.

„I'm not a child, you know." I tell him again.

„Just walk with me for 3 minutes. Is that so hard?" He asks.

„Yes."

„Why?"

„I told you, you're a pain."

„How can you tell? You don't even know me."

I roll my eyes.

„I know enough."

„What if you don't?"

„What if I do?"

„Well, you're not so great yourself." He tells me.

„Yet you can't seem to stay away, can you?" I ask him.

This makes him quiet for a little while.

„I can admit I prefer your smartass company over the lovey-dovey couple's." He defends.

„Nope. You like my smartass company." I chuckle.

„I tolerate your company."

„Liar."

„Smartass." He smiles back.

By now we have already reached my house.

I don't really feel comfortable inviting him inside so I decide to just greet him and get in.

„Good night, Damon." I tell him.

He comes to stand right behind me.

„No goodnights kiss?" He asks and pouts.

I snort. „You wish."

„No, you wish." He says while looking into my eyes. His pupils are doing that thing again.

I'm officially getting creeped out.

„No, I don't. Night!" I spat.

And with that I get inside and close the door in his confused face.

When I look through the window he is already gone.

I realise just how tired I am now that there is no Damon-induced adrenaline surging through my veins so I just strip into my underwear and slip under the covers.

I look through the window and see that damn crow standing on the branch and poking its peak into the glass again.

With the last bits of my strength I flip it off and say: „Don't you dare make another sound or I'll fucking shoot you!"

A/N

Here you go! Hope you like it:)

I have outlined the next few chapters so the updates should be pretty regular, every weekend one chapter, like I said.

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